Posted by seahunt on June 23, 2001 at 22:04:34:
In Reply to: Re: Hold on there a second.... posted by Richard on June 22, 2001 at 21:11:33:
Cowtowing... cute.
What you may not know is that diving in California was really pioneered
and developed by hunters. This was partly because of the abundance of
game, absent the otters. There are still an awful lot of hunters in
California and they make for extremely enthusiastic and skilled divers.
I'm one of them, and like Chris, I travel California to hunt, not to
take pictures. When I went to Hawaii a few times ago, I went night diving
for lobster and I hunted them in Belize. I took a lot of pictures too,
but the hunting was far more fun and challenging.
Hey, it's the hunters that have always filled the out island trips
all winter. The boats for the summer sightseers rarely go to the
difficult spots.
Really though, hunting is not just about the taking of game, it relates
to using ones natural instincts to enhance ones awareness of their
environment. Hunting is one of the few instincts that can be easily
seen in humans. Some people have it very strongly and it fits in
perfectly to the wild and natural space that is the ocean.
Even when not hunting, using a hunters instincts makes a diver
extremely aware and sensitive to the underwater space they are in,
demonstrably far more so than most divers. You can use hunting
instincts when exploring or hunting anything, game, brass, divers,
gold, whatever. It's the same instinct.
I am generally in hunting mode anytime I am underwater, including when
I do photography and yes, there are many underwater pictures on my web
site. .. www.diver.net/seahunt
One thing that I have found out, is that when swimming slowly, it is hard
to really stay in hunting mode, because it is a very stimulated state and
so not always easy to maintain. At a place like the Casino, well, I can
hunt for something to photograph, but I'd really be far better off
somewhere else, almost anywhere else.... For that matter, the other
side of Avalon Harbor, Lover's Cove (and why I have only dove Casino
very rarely) is about 100 times more interesting than Casino Point.
Casino point, is probably the most heavily visited dive site at
Catalina, is just not going to be on my itinerary whether I hunt or
not. It's a boring place for a person that has spent years seeking the
most pristine, and lush diving all over the state.
I love UW dive preserves. Swimming along and seeing all the life,
looking for the hidden game and finding it like it used to be. I can't
take it, but it makes my instincts and awareness of the living reef
soar just the same and that is the hunter's high. It's why I
dive... ...and I can always photograph it.
>There are more things to do while diving than killing something.
True, but not many that are near as exciting and challenging. Who else
will dive as much as a hunter? Many hunters have been diving in
California for 20 or 30 years. I doubt very much that there are many
sightseers or even photographers that can say that. They sure were
not on the boats I have gone on.
Enjoy, seahunt